“Big Ed” Blake

Houston spawn “Big Ed” Blake, who comes home to play the Joke Joint Comedy Showcase stage for a post-Christmas gig, loves his job, especially when he observes how others are forced to make their livings. “I’ve seen all kinds of weird jobs, man. I was driving up here,” he said to a Loony Bin audience in Little Rock in 2011, “and I saw a road construction crew. I stopped at the light, and there was a dude standing there, and his vest said ‘Certified Flagman.’” Perhaps Blake has applied for one of these “state jobs”, because he knows “if it’s certified, there was a test involved.” And who doesn’t get a little anxious before taking a test? “So you know it was tense in his house the night before. He’s trying to get some sleep, and his wife is like, ‘Hey, let’s watch a vampire movie.’ And he’s like ‘Baby! Come on! I’ve got to go to sleep! Don’t you know I’ve got a flagman’s exam in the morning? Don’t you see what I’m trying to do for us? This is just a stepping-stone, baby! If I do well as a flagman, do you know what’s next? Cones! I’ll be painting curbs in no time, just for you.’”